ABSTRACT
Halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) are derived from naturally deposited aluminosilicate (Al2Si2O5(OH)4nH2O) and are chemically similar to kaolin (Joussein et al. 2005; Ismail et al. 2008). Structurally, due to mismatch between tetrahedral and octahedral internal components, HNTs take on a cylindrical shape, forming tubes that are typically between 1 and 15 μm in length (Lecouvet et al. 2011). These tubes have dimensions of between 50 and 70 nm for the outer diameters and between 10 and 30 nm for the inner diameters. As the tubes are hollow, they allow HNTs to have very high surface area with a high aspect that promotes excellent interaction between the ller and the matrix (Handge et al. 2010; Liu et al. 2007). Tensile, fracture, and impact strength as well as other mechanical and thermal properties are believed to be dramatically improved when HNTs are added to epoxy, polystyrene, polypropylene, polyvinyl alcohol, and other polymers (Deng et al. 2008; Du et al. 2006; Rooj et al. 2010; Zhao and Liu 2008).
